It was 1991 when video game consoles started appearing in Spanish stores. Until then, Spain had been a country of 8- and 16-bit personal microcomputers (ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga 500, etc.), but the industry would never be the same again, partly due to the arrival of a blue hedgehog with red boots who went by the name of Sonic. Don't you remember the moment you first saw him?
Mario's natural rival
It's impossible to ignore the fact that Sonic was born as a direct response to Mario, the Nintendo character who, since the 80s, had been known for his games, first as the anonymous protagonist of some Game & Watch titles and, second, as the leader of the gaming revolution that took shape in Japan starting in 1985, when the NES was released. It was obvious that if SEGA, in the early 90s, wanted to stand a chance against its rival, it had to put a familiar face at the head of its armies.
And that character was Sonic. A hero who couldn't be anything like Nintendo's and who absolutely had to find a way to differentiate himself, to flesh out his personality. So SEGA didn't hesitate: a friendly, albeit slightly rebellious, appearance, and with a characteristic that makes him unique—his speed. That would be the key difference that would define the character and all his games, which offered a radically different entertainment formula from the platformers Miyamoto designed for his Mario.
Naoto Oshima and Hirokazu Yasuhara, the creators of Sonic, drew inspiration from many sources, one of which was a World War II pilot who loved flying at high speeds, which caused his hair to stand on end. They took some ideas from him, but also from the boots, which were painted red and white in clear reference to Santa Claus, while the design of the sneakers was clearly inspired by the cover of Michael Jackson's album Bad, released just a few years earlier, in 1987.
Why so much speed?
By the summer of 1991, SEGA had Sonic ready for release in Spain, with a comprehensive marketing campaign that made it clear he would become their icon from that moment on. That game captivated millions of kids who had never seen a character run at such speed on screen, a challenge that the Japanese company sought to showcase the technical power of their Mega Drive, the 16-bit console destined to compete with the Super Nintendo.
And the gamble paid off handsomely, because practically from the very beginning, Sonic became the face of SEGA, completely revolutionizing the catalog of games exclusive to consoles like the Master System, Game Gear, Mega CD, and 32X. Unfortunately, the transition to the Sega Saturn, in particular, was somewhat more traumatic, leaving us with only a few projects, many of which ended up being canceled, as was the case with Sonic X-treme. Luckily, with the Dreamcast, things returned to normal, and we witnessed the character's leap into 3D with two extraordinary Sonic Adventure games that are now part of the collective memory of any self-respecting SEGA fan.
From that initial success of the classic platform games, many other branches with different themes have appeared , which have helped to make Sonic one of the undisputed protagonists of the history of video games, with more than 30 years behind him and all the strength intact that, if nothing changes, we will see resurface this year thanks to Sonic Frontiers.
All the games that have come out of Sonic
Below , organized by game type, you'll find all the games released under the Sonic franchise. They aren't all 2D or 3D platformers, because Sonic, as SEGA's mascot, has had to take on countless roles to entertain us on every system and console you can think of. Even those machines that didn't sell particularly well and faded into obscurity. But they're worth remembering.
Here you have them all. Everyone, everyone.
2D classics
This section includes all the games inspired by the original, released in 1991 for SEGA consoles. So, if you want to see if you're missing any of these classic 2D platformers, keep an eye out for all the ones that have been released over the last three decades. Are you missing any?
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic the Hedgehog | 1991 | Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis |
| 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog | 1991 | SEGA Mark III/Master System; Sega Game Gear |
| 3 | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | 1992 | SEGA Mark III/Master System; Sega Game Gear |
| 4 | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | 1992 | Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis |
| 5 | Sonic the Hedgehog CD | 1993 | Sega Mega CD/Sega CD |
| 6 | Sonic & Tails/Sonic Chaos | 1993 | SEGA Mark III/Master System; Sega Game Gear |
| 7 | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | 1994 | Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis |
| 8 | Sonic & Knuckles | 1994 | Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis |
| 9 | Sonic & Tails 2/Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble | 1994 | Sega Game Gear |
| 10 | Knuckles' Chaotix | 1995 | SEGA 32X |
| 11 | sonic blast | 1996 | SEGA Mark III/Master System; Sega Game Gear |
| 12 | Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure | 1999 | Neo geo pocket color |
| 13 | sonic advance | 2001 | Game Boy Advance |
| 14 | sonic advance 2 | 2002 | Game Boy Advance |
| 15 | sonic advance 3 | 2004 | Game Boy Advance |
| 16 | Sonic Rush | 2005 | Nintendo DS |
| 17 | sonic rush adventure | 2007 | Nintendo DS |
| 18 | Sonic Unleashed | 2009 | Mobile phones |
| 19 | Sonic Colors | 2010 | Nintendo DS |
| 20 | Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (Episode II) | 2010 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network; Wii, WiiWare; Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade; PC; iOS; Android |
| 21 | Sonic generations | 2011 | Nintendo 3DS |
| 22 | Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (Episode II) | 2012 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network; Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade; PC; iOS; Android |
| 23 | Sonic Mania | 2017 | Playstation 4; Xbox One; Nintendo Switch; pc |
3D classics
With the arrival of the Dreamcast, Sonic truly made the leap to 3D, although a cartridge with some 3D elements had been released before. The Adventures series is one of the most fondly remembered, but we can't forget Sonic Frontiers , which is expected to arrive sometime in 2022. What fantastic games!
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic 3D Blast (Flickies' Island) | 1996 | Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis; Sega Saturn; pc |
| 2 | Sonic adventure | 1998 | Dreamcast |
| 3 | Sonic Adventure 2 | 2001 | Dreamcast |
| 4 | Sonic heroes | 2003 | Nintendo GameCube; Playstation 2; Xbox; pc |
| 5 | Shadow the Hedgehog | 2005 | Nintendo GameCube; Playstation 2; Xbox |
| 6 | Sonic the Hedgehog | 2006 | Playstation 3; Xbox 360 |
| 7 | Sonic and the Secret Rings | 2007 | Wii |
| 8 | Sonic Unleashed | 2008 | Playstation 2; Playstation 3; Wii; Xbox 360 |
| 9 | Sonic and the Black Knight | 2009 | Wii |
| 10 | Sonic Colors | 2010 | Wii |
| 11 | Sonic generations | 2011 | Playstation 3; Xbox 360; pc |
| 12 | Sonic lost world | 2013 | Wii U; Nintendo 3DS; pc |
| 13 | Sonic Forces | 2017 | Playstation 4; Xbox One; Nintendo Switch; pc |
| 14 | sonic frontiers | 2022 | Playstation 4; PS5; Xbox One; Xbox Series X/S; Nintendo Switch; pc |
Race games
Like Super Mario Kart on Nintendo, Sonic eventually ventured into racing games with series like Sonic Drift . These are entertaining games that have spawned countless versions and that SEGA continues to nurture to this day. A prime example is the latest Team Sonic Racing , released in 2019.
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | sonic drift | 1994 | Sega Game Gear |
| 2 | sonic drift 2 | 1995 | Sega Game Gear |
| 3 | Sonic R | 1997 | Sega Saturn |
| 4 | Sonic Racing Shift Up | 2002 | Mobile phones |
| 5 | Sonic Racing Kart | 2003 | Mobile phones |
| 6 | Sonic Kart 3D | 2005 | Mobile phones |
| 7 | Sonic Riders | 2006 | Nintendo GameCube; Playstation 2; Xbox; pc |
| 8 | sonic rivals | 2006 | PlayStation Portable |
| 9 | sonic rivals 2 | 2007 | PlayStation Portable |
| 10 | Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity | 2008 | Wii; Playstation 2 |
| 11 | Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing | 2010 | Playstation 3; Wii; Nintendo DS; Xbox 360; PC; iOS; Android |
| 12 | Sonic Free Riders | 2010 | Xbox 360, Kinect |
| 13 | Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed | 2012 | Playstation 3; Play Station Vita; Wii U; Nintendo 3DS; Xbox 360; PC; iOS; Android |
| 14 | Team Sonic Racing | 2019 | Playstation 4; Xbox One; Nintendo Switch; pc |
Sonic at the Olympics
When the news broke in 2007, nobody believed it. Mario and Sonic were going to appear in the same video game? Fifteen years after the console wars, Nintendo and SEGA decided to join forces on a project that has become a classic every time a new Olympics rolls around, whether summer or winter… and that buried that old rivalry from the 90s forever.
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | 2007 | Wii; Nintendo DS |
| 2 | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | 2009 | Wii; Nintendo DS |
| 3 | Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | 2011 | Wii; Nintendo 3DS |
| 4 | Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | 2013 | Wii U |
| 5 | Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games | 2016 | Wii U; Nintendo 3DS |
| 6 | Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games | 2019 | Nintendo Switch |
sonic in the arcade
Although you might not have seen them much in Spanish arcades, Sonic has had some memorable arcade machines in Japan. Sonic Athletics is one of the most spectacular... check out the video.
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car | 1991 | Arcade |
| 2 | Sega Sonic the Hedgehog | 1993 | Arcade |
| 3 | SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter Galaxy Patrol | 1993 | Arcade |
| 4 | SegaSonic Popcorn Shop | 1993 | Arcade |
| 5 | Sonic the fighters | 1996 | Arcade |
| 6 | Sonic Athletics | 2013 | Arcade |
Sonic and his educational games
SEGA released a console called Pico a few years ago . It was shaped like a book, and for it, they also decided to include Sonic in purely educational games. Later, Sonic games appeared on other systems, but those original SEGA Pico games are the most fondly remembered.
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld | 1994 | Sega Peak |
| 2 | Tails and the Music Maker | 1994 | Sega Peak |
| 3 | Sonic's Schoolhouse | 1996 | PC |
| 4 | Sonic X | 2005 | Leapster |
Sonic remasters and ports
https://youtu.be/JDqBJZVa1Z4
Sonic has such a rich history that some of its games have been crying out for a remaster or a port with minor tweaks. If you want to see all the ones that have been released, just take a look at the table below.
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic Adventure 2: Battle | 2001 | Nintendo GameCube; pc |
| 2 | Sonic N | 2003 | Nokia N-Gage |
| 3 | Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut | 2003 | Nintendo GameCube; pc |
| 4 | Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis | 2006 | Game Boy Advance |
| 5 | Sonic the Hedgehog CD | 2011 | iOS; Android; Xbox 360; Playstation 3; OUYA; Apple TV; pc |
| 6 | Sonic the Hedgehog Classic | 2013 | iOS; Android; Apple TV |
| 7 | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Classic | 2013 | iOS; Android; Apple TV |
| 8 | Sega Ages: Sonic the Hedgehog | 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| 9 | Sega Ages: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | 2020 | Nintendo Switch |
| 10 | Sonic Colors Ultimate | 2021 | Playstation 4; PS5; Xbox One; Xbox Series X/S; Nintendo Switch; pc |
sonic collections
When it comes to collecting various Sonic games, nothing beats a good collection to have them all together without having to load each one separately. If you want to know which ones have been released, check out the list… you'll be amazed!
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic Classics 3 in 1 | 1995 | Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis |
| 2 | Sonic & Knuckles Collection | 1997 | PC |
| 3 | sonic jam | 1997 | Sega Saturn; game.com |
| 4 | sonic mega collection | 2002 | Nintendo GameCube |
| 5 | Sonic Mega Collection Plus | 2004 | Playstation 2; Xbox; pc |
| 6 | Sonic Gems Collection | 2005 | Nintendo GameCube; Playstation 2 |
| 7 | Sonic PC Collection | 2009 | PC |
| 8 | Sonic Classic Collection | 2010 | Nintendo DS |
| 9 | sonic origins | 2022 | Playstation 4; PS5; Xbox One; Xbox Series X/S; Nintendo Switch; pc |
Sonic Boom Series
Among the most classic Sonic games is this series, which uniquely blends the best of 2D and 3D . Some stages are laid out like the old Mega Drive cartridges, but with the technical improvements of modern 3D environments. What more could you ask for?
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric | 2014 | Wii U |
| 2 | Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal | 2014 | Nintendo 3DS |
| 3 | Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice | 2016 | Nintendo 3DS |
Sonic spin-offs
Sonic and his friends have starred in a huge number of games, but as with any successful franchise, it has spawned other titles inspired by its characters. Dr. Robotnik has been one of the most fortunate, with some games under his belt that are pure gold. Or have you forgotten the superb Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine?
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic Eraser | 1991 | Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis |
| 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball | 1993 | SEGA Mark III/Master System; Sega Game Gear; Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis |
| 3 | Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine | 1993 | SEGA Mark III/Master System; Sega Game Gear; Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis |
| 4 | Tails' Skypatrol | 1995 | Sega Game Gear |
| 5 | Tails Adventure | 1995 | Sega Game Gear |
| 6 | sonic labyrinth | 1995 | Sega Game Gear |
| 7 | sonic shuffle | 2000 | Dreamcast |
| 8 | sonic pinball party | 2003 | Game Boy Advance |
| 9 | sonic battle | 2003 | Game Boy Advance |
| 10 | Sonic jump | 2005 | Mobile phones |
| 11 | Sonic Speed ​​DX | 2006 | Mobile phones |
| 12 | Sonic's Casino Poker | 2007 | Mobile phones |
| 13 | sonic jump 2 | 2008 | Mobile phones |
| 14 | Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood | 2008 | Nintendo DS |
| 15 | Sega Superstars Tennis | 2008 | Playstation 2; Playstation 3; Wii; Nintendo DS; Xbox 360; macOS |
| 16 | Sonic Dash | 2013 | PC; iOS; Android; Arcadian |
| 17 | Sonic Jump Fever | 2014 | iOS; Android |
| 18 | Sonic runners | 2015 | iOS; Android |
| 19 | Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom | 2015 | iOS; Android |
| 20 | Sonic Runner Adventure | 2017 | iOS; Android; Java ME |
canceled sonic games
And of course, we can't forget those projects that never made it to stores but, over the years, have come to light thanks to confessions from former employees of the company. Some, in fact, have ended up being leaked in unfinished versions or versions that were practically finished and are 100% playable. SegaSonic Bros. , for example, is one of those titles.
| Title | Year | Consumer Relations Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic's Edusoft | 1991 | SEGA Mark III/Master System |
| 2 | Sega Sonic Bros. | 1992 | Arcade |
| 3 | sister sonic | 1993 | Sega Mega CD/Sega CD |
| 4 | Sonic Jr. | 1994 | Sega Peak |
| 5 | Sonic Crackers | 1994 | Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis |
| 6 | Sonic 16 | 1994 | Mega Drive/Mega Drive/Sega Genesis |
| 7 | sonic mars | 1995 | SEGA 32X |
| 8 | Sonic Xtreme | 1997 | Sega Saturn |
| 9 | sonic extreme | 2002 | Xbox |
| 10 | sonic ds | 2004 | Nintendo DS |
| 11 | Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity | 2007 | Xbox 360 |
| 12 | Sonic generations | 2010 | Wii,PSP |
| 13 | Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (Episode II) | 2012 | iOS, Android |